Scope and Content

This collection comprises letters which Nancy Corby wrote to her family, principally from Kampala, Uganda where she was serving as a CMS missionary teacher in a secondary school, 1930-1950, together with a few written from The Willows, a CMS Training College for women in 1929. These are often detailed and informative letters and include enclosures of printed and other ephemera. A letter of 1942, for example, describes the coronation of the Kabaka of Uganda and is accompanied by the official printed programme. Her papers also include three diaries, two of which relate to holidays in Kenya and Central Africa, 1930-1933, one of which contains postcards. The collection also includes a few letters from friends of Nancy to her mother, Mrs Corby, 1937.

Administrative / Biographical History

Nancy Harris Corby served as a Church Missionary Society missionary teacher in Uganda, 1930-1950. She was a teacher at the Gayaza High School and she was headmistress from 1938-1950. She resigned from the CMS in 1953.

Arrangement

This collection forms part of the Church Missionary Society Unofficial Papers. It is arranged into one series: Family Papers

Conditions Governing Access

Open. Access to all registered researchers.

Acquisition Information

This collection was presented to the CMS in 1961. It was transferred on permanent loan to the Special Collections Department by the CMS in the 1980s.

Other Finding Aids

A catalogue is available in electronic format on the University of Birmingham Special Collections website: http://calmview.bham.ac.uk/ A paper catalogue to file and item level is available in the Special Collections Department.

Conditions Governing Use

Permission to make any published use of any material from the collection must be sought in advance in writing from the University Archivist, Special Collections. Identification of copyright holders of unpublished material is often difficult. Special Collections will assist where possible with identifying copyright owners, but responsibility for ensuring copyright clearance rests with the user of the material.

Related Material

The Special Collections Department holds the Church Missionary Society Archive, the official archive of the society (GB 150 CMS), which includes papers relating to Nancy Corby's service as a CMS missionary.

The University of Birmingham, Special Collections Department and the Orchard Learning Resources Centre hold a rich collection of archives relating to missions, charities and other religious and ecclesiastical organisations and individuals.